ArtClothText

Tehching Hsieh talks to Jean Wainwright about two of his his one year performances. 1981-1982 in which he spent one year without entering a building, and 1982-1983 in which he spent one year attached to artist Linda Montano by a short length of rope.

Abigail Doan, Knitted Flotsam 01, 2009, Crocheted, twined, handspun and recycled fiber, string, balloon, paper, 12" x 7" x 6", courtesy of the artist

Knitted, Knotted, Netted provides an opportunity to sample some recent art made with knitting, knotting and netting. These techniques with ancient lineages have had a resurgence in the art world through the creativity and ingenuity of contemporary artists. Each of these methods involves the looping of a thread or cord; this differentiates them from braiding and weaving, in which elements may interlace but not necessarily loop through each other.

Two-and three-dimensional artworks use not only plant and animal materials but also industrial and synthetic materials, creating looped structures never envisioned in earlier contexts. Such work is innovative and surprising, inspiring to practitioners of textile and fiber arts and intriguing to a broader audience. Among the artists in this exhibition are several celebrated practitioners whose work explores the fluid boundary between the traditionally defined categories of “art” and “craft.”

THROUGHOUT HISTORY, man’s relationship to nature has been violent at best. The need to conquer, to map, to name, to own, to tame, and to understand the natural world is deeply ingrained in the culture of humanity. This has been a common theme in my work for many years, and I’m especially fascinated with the more absurd manifestations of this relationship. I am beginning to explore the possibilities of taxidermy as the “ultimate” trophy, whether it be the spoils of the hunter, or the spoils of merely having reached a certain level of power or accomplishment. Art, in itself, is a trophy. In the context of my work, nature becomes art, and therefore, trophy. READ MORE

Untitled, 2008, crocheted hemp and garden trellis - Lisa Cooley Fine Art

I recently discovered the work of Josh Faught reading an articlre by Jen Graves on SLOG. Faught is the latest winner of the Seattle Art Museum’s $15,000 Betty Bowen Award. He is represented by Lisa Cooley Fine Art in New York where he has an upcoming solo exhibition in early 2010. From his bio…

Josh Faught lives and works in Eugene, Oregon. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Fibers at the University of Oregon and has exhibited widely in the United States. His work not only graces the sleeves of the band Grizzly Bear’s recordings Horn of Plenty and Friend but also is included in the permanent collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Untitled, 2008, woven fabric, 4.5 x 8.25 inches - Lisa Cooley Fine Art

Click either image to view more of Faught’s work.

James Turrell – Goldstein Skyspace/Roden Crater Project from Rindermulch on Vimeo.